Happy Lunar New Year 2018 – Year of the Dog
Today marks the first day of the lunar calendar — Happy Year of the Dog! The defining characteristic of those born in the year of the dog (1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018) is loyalty.
The lunar new year is observed by many Asian cultures including the Chinese, Mongolian (Tsagaan Sar), Tibetan (Losar), Japanese (Shōgatsu), Korean (Seollal), and Vietnamese (Tết). The holiday begins with house cleaning two days prior to the new year to sweep away ill fortune and make way for the good. In Chinese lore, there was a beast called Nian that would terrorize villagers by eating livestock, crops, and even children. Nian was afraid of the color red, which is why windows and doors continue to be decorated with red paper lanterns and decor with symbols of good luck and fortune. On New Year’s Eve, families gather to honor the gods and their ancestors, and firecrackers are set off to keep Nian away and scare off other evil spirits. The part that the young look forward to: the exchange of red envelopes filled with new bills (per the old tale, this was also keep children safe from Nian).
Symbolic foods: fish (in Mandarin, the term yu is homophonous with the term for abundance — we say “nian nian you yu”), clams (they open as they’re cooked, signifying the opening of new horizons), dumplings (they resemble the Chinese sycee), rice cake for prosperity, sweet rice balls (symbolic of togetherness), longevity noodles (one long noodle that’s uncut), and pomelo/oranges for good luck and prosperity.
BAY AREA EVENTS:
San Francisco
Feb 17, 1-3pm: Chinese New Year potluck luncheon at Doc-Fai Wong Martial Arts Center [925 Taraval St., SF]
Feb 18, 10:30am-4pm: Asian Art Museum [200 Larkin St, SF]
Feb 18, 10am-2pm: Year of the Dog Embarcadero Walk [meet at the north end of the Brannan Street Wharf Park, SF]
Feb 24, 10am-12pm: Chinatown Walking Tour + CNY Fair [359 Grant Ave, SF]
Feb 24 10am-4:30pm & Feb 25 9am-5pm: Chinatown Community Street Fair [Chinatown, SF]
Feb 24, 11am-4pm: Chinese Historical Society of America [965 Clay Street, SF]
Feb 24, 12-4pm: – Chinese Cultural Center of SF spring festival [750 Kearny St., SF]
Feb 24, 5:15pm: Southwest Airlines® Chinese New Year Parade [parade begins at 2nd & Market, SF]
Feb 24, 5-8pm: Chinese New Year Parade VIP Viewing Party [750 Kearny St, 3rd floor, SF]
Feb 24, 5-10pm: TAP-SF Lunar New Year Soiree [Crystal Jade @4 Embarcadero Center, SF] ~ A portion of proceeds benefit the Hualien (Taiwan) earthquake relief efforts.
Feb 24: Chinese New Year concert at Davies Symphony Hall [201 Van Ness Ave, SF] -Festival reception @2pm, Concert @3pm, Imperial Dinner @5pm
Feb 24-25, 10am-4pm: San Francisco Zoo [The Great Highway, SF] ~ Guests born in the year of the Dog receive FREE admission on these dates!
Feb 25, 11:30am-2pm: Chinese New Year Party at the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine [450 Connecticut St, SF]
Feb 25, 11am-5pm: Dumpling Down @SoMa StrEat Food Park [428 11th St, SF]
March 4, 8am: CCHP Chinese New Year 5K and 10K Run [route goes through Chinatown & FiDi, SF] ~ Benefits Chinatown YMCA’s Physical Education Program (PEP) and Community Center
Peninsula & South Bay
Feb 16-18: SJ New Year Tet Festival at Eastridge Mall [2200 Eastridge Loop, SJ]
Feb 17, 10am-3pm: Lunar New Year celebration at Great Mall [447 Great Mall Dr, Entrance 2, Milpitas]
Feb 17, 11am-2pm: celebration at Westfield Valley Fair @J.Crew Court [2855 Stevens Creek Blvd, Santa Clara]
Feb 17, 11am-5pm: free community day at SJ Museum of Art [110 South Market St, SJ]
Feb 17-18, 12-4pm: Children’s Discovery Museum of SJ [180 Woz Way, SJ]
Feb 24, 11am-4pm: Downtown Redwood City celebration [2200 Broadway St, Redwood City]
East Bay
Feb 11 – March 2: Lunar New Year at Livermore Outlets [2774 Livermore Outlets Dr, Livermore] ~ Special deals through March are listed on their Deals page + special events on Feb 17 and 24-25.
Feb 17, 12-4pm: Lunar New Year Festival [Delaware at Fourth Street, in front of Sur La Table, Berkeley]
Feb 24 6pm: potluck dinner + special performances at The Taoist Center [3824 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland]
Feb 25, 12-4:30pm: Oakland Museum of CA [1000 Oak St, Oakland]
North Bay
Feb 19, 9am-4pm – Bay Area Discovery Museum [557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito]
